St. Landry democrat., 1887-06-11
LONELY HOMES.
t IETTC TRADITIONS CLINGING
10 TO NEW YORK HOUSES.


not IETIC TRADITIONS CLINGING
amo TO NEW YORK HOUSES.
wint
rr,ld Home of Commodore Vanderbilt
she Hands of Strangers-Abandoned
aces-The Vanity of Earthly Affairs
Wy lstrated by Some Notable Examples.
There is very little fun after all in being
rich, for you 60 to work and build
palace for some one else to live in and
hoard money for others to quarrel over,
and you only get what you eat, drink and
wear, out of all you have worked, schemed
and planned for That is sound philoso-
ply and was evoked by passing through
my mind list of New York houses that
have been built for others than the one
who built them. Old Commodore Van
derbilt built him handsome house in
West Washington Place, and in it
gathered many beautiful things, and he
died and now strangers own it. The
house is large and comfortable, with old
time dimensions to rooms, ceilings and
stairways, but he died in the smallest
and plainest room of all. On the
second floor is the suite of three rooms,
with a southern exposure, which were
his own, and in the middle one of these
stands the bed whereon he died, plain
but very substantial and handsome, like
all the furniture in the house. Nothing
is changed in the appearance OF this
room except that the querulous old man
is gone.
But great changes now will come.
His second wife died suddenly year or
so since, and all her property goes to
her family, and already they are trying to
modernize the whole house. The beau
tiful carved staircase has been torn away
to make Queen Anne horror.
Then his son, VIM H. Vanderbilt, built
himself a palace home, into the hall OF
which could almost be set his father s
more modest dwelling, and he adorned
it as gorgeouslv as money could cause it
to be done Every country except his
own furnished something rich or rare to
embellish it. Artists were made rich by
his purchases, and human ingenuity W as
taxed to find something glittering
or -resplendent enough to add to the
general dazzling effect; and hardly could
it be said to have been finished when
he, too, fell a victim to the only one he
could not buy out. The richest man in
America could not buy another hour
of life to enjoy his costly and magnitl-
cent home.
A. T. Stewart slaved and toiled and
built a splendid white-marble palace,
into which the sun rarely shone,
and the pictures and statues, which he
was not capable of appreciating, nail
dewed, and he, too, had to die and leave
his costly palace.
Samuel J. Tilden built him splendid
home in Gramercy Park, and orna-
mented it with the truest and most re-
fined taste without and within, and filled
it to over1owing with works OF art and
with books that would be heirlooms to
the greatest countries of the world. he
surrounded himself with every refine
ment, everything that the mind of a man
like himself could desire, and he, too,
went his way and left his beautiful home
for others to quarrel over.
General Grant made him a home up by
the park, house as solid and unpreten-
tious as himself, but comfortable, hand
some home, roomv and convenient, and
not buy nor ANYTHING but sterling worth
win, and hardly was his hearthstone
warmed when death took him and left
his home cold sepulchre.
Peter Coopers old home is quiet
unpretentious house on Lexington ave-
nue. near Madison Square, and in that
are the evidences of the pure, unselfish
life he lived, and its walls are eloquent
of a good mans life. Mayor Hewitt, his
son-in-law, lives there now, but any chile
in New York can point out the place anC
it is always called "Peter Coopers house
In Twelfth street stands the home o.
the late Thurlow Weed, next to the cor
ner of Fifth avenue, and the window o.
his study looks out upon the que
churchyard which he decorated will
plants with his own hands. The whole
interior breathes of his spirit still, and tht
silent beauty of this house is kept sacred
by his devoted daughter. This house il
handsome, but plain outside; full o
beautiful and rare books, pictures ant
other things inside; but over all is
sweet hush and brooding peace.
Directly opposite where | live is tn
old Van Buren mansion, large double
house of broWnstone, handsome ant
massive, set in the midst of almost
mark of old trees, which is refreshln!
sight in the midst of the busiest part o
New York. OF the old family there !
none left except the old lady, who is still
active and goes out for drive every da!
no matter what the weather. She !
yery old. 1t is said that just after hi
presidency Van Buren built this home
which is even now one of the finest i
New York, though not bearing quite S
much gingerbread trimmings on the eS
terror. -.
About six doors above my dwelling i
the house built by old Thomas Lore
whose death brought on the famous law
suit, and two or three blocks below here
in Washington Square, stands the hous
which General George B. Mcclellan
owned and where he lived in tn
winters.
There are several other houses her
that have more or less of a history at
tached to them, which made them we
known. and there are many more whic
have unknown histories that woul
prove very interesting if the public kne7
them. oLl'E hAhfEh.
The Proper Study of Mankind.
tfxx,I :, ,,,o,, p, siobad Haroun A1raScbit